Survey Reveals Top Mistakes Job Seekers Make on Social Media

Are you looking for a job? Do you have a Facebook account? Twitter? Instagram? Be careful what you post. That's the word from a new survey out from staffing firm OfficeTeam, which reveals the top social media mistakes HR managers say take job seekers out of the running for a position.

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I was sort of surprised by the order in which the Top 3 appeared. I would have thought for sure that posting inappropriate photos would have been the No. 1 no-no, but it wasn't. It was No. 2. Writing negative or inappropriate comments was reported by 45% of the human resources professionals as the biggest mistake they see from their applicants. Inappropriate photos received 35% of the vote. The No. 3 item on the list was also sort of surprising: not posting regularly and having incomplete, dated or no social media profiles is also a red flag for potential employers.

"People often believe posting on social media is just harmless fun, but in reality, employers frequently look online to learn about prospective hires," said Brandi Britton, a district president for OfficeTeam. "Professionals should think beyond eliminating unflattering content from their digital accounts to how they can wow hiring managers by showcasing career accomplishments and industry involvement."

OfficeTeam has also put together a list of five types of professionals who commit social media faux pas: The Cranky Critic, The Superfluous Selfie Poster, The TMI Transgressor, The Connection Counter and The Nonchalant Networker.

Don't worry. If you are one of these people (or maybe you even fall into more than one category!), there is help. OfficeTeam also has advice on how to break your bad habits, and avoid future mistakes. Most of the advice is pretty much common sense, if you stop to think about it, so it should be fairly easy to follow. See the full report on "Social Media Mistakes That Could Cost You Your Job" to find out more.